Portable communication devices have advanced dramatically in form and function in recent years. Cell phones that once provided mere telephone service, for instance, now typically incorporate advanced computing, networking, and user interface functions, offering a myriad of multi-media services and data management functions. Furthermore, the widespread availability of wireless communication service has allowed commercialization of numerous new types of devices and new versions of existing devices, such as wirelessly-equipped navigation units, wirelessly-equipped electronic book readers, wirelessly-equipped personal data assistants, wirelessly-equipped notebook and tablet computers, wirelessly-equipped cameras and camcorders, and wirelessly-equipped package tracking devices, among others.
With these advances, however, portable communication devices have become not only more valuable to their owners, but also more valuable to prospective thieves. For instance, a thief could attempt to steal such a device in order to benefit from personal data stored on the device, or simply to benefit from use or resale of the device itself.
When a portable communication device is lost or stolen, the owner of the device may be able to contact a service provider to report the theft and to cancel wireless communication service for the device, if applicable. However, mere cancellation of such service does not help to facilitate recovery of the device itself. An improvement is therefore desired.